the contents of this page may take a few seconds to load . . .
thank you for your patience...

Esther

Arlen L. Chitwood

www.lampbroadcast.org

Chapter Nine

Mordecai’s Rise and Greatness

So Mordecai
went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white,
with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and
the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

The Jews had
light and gladness,
joy and honor.

And in every
province and city,
wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and
gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the
land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them. . . .

And King
Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea.

Now all the
acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai,
to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

For Mordecai
the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus,
and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his
brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his
countrymen. (Esther 8:15-17;
10:1-3)

In chapters one
and two of the book of
Esther, the complete story
of the Jewish people is told in brief, minute form. Then, throughout chapters
three
through ten (forming commentary
material for chapters 1 and
2),
the thought of the Jewish people ultimately occupying their God-ordained place
on earth — as seen in the opening two chapters (a place having to do with
regality) — is continually brought to the forefront. And, as the
sequence of events depicted in the book relative to Israel and the Gentile
nations draws to a close, information surrounding the Jewish people occupying
their proper place within God’s economy is brought to the forefront in an
ever-increasing manner.

Throughout chapters three
through ten, which have to do
mainly with a time near and following the end of Gentile world power
(foreshadowing events during the last three and one-half years of the
Tribulation, progressing on into the Messianic Era), regality relative to
Israel is shown a number of times, several different ways. And when one arrives
at the last four chapters of the book (chapters
7-10),
this is seen even more so, with the book ending by taking two whole chapters
(chapters 8 and
10)
to foreshadow Israel holding the scepter during the Messianic Era.

Mordecai, at different times throughout the first part of the book, is seen
seated “within the king’s gate” (2:19; 3:2, 3;
4:2, 6; 5:9, 13; 6:10, 12),
an act portending regality (cf. Genesis 22:17, 18; 24:60). Esther, in
chapter five, is seen appearing
before the king in “royal robes” on the third day, which is the
time when Israel will appear in the King’s presence arrayed in this manner —
after two days, on the third day; after 2,000 years, in the third 1,000-year
period (cf.
Hosea 6:1, 2).

And following Haman’s death (chapter
7),
the whole of chapter eight
is given over to thoughts surrounding the Jewish people and regality.
Then, following Haman’s ten sons being slain (chapter
9),
the whole of chapter ten
is given over to thoughts surrounding the Jewish people and regality once
again,which is how the book ends.

Events surrounding Haman’s death at the end of chapter
seven
foreshadow the destruction of Gentile world power (headed up under Antichrist)
at the end of Man’s Day, resulting in the end of the Times of the Gentiles.
God’s purpose for the Times of the Gentiles will have been realized, for the
Jewish people will have been brought to the place of repentance.

Then, in chapter
nine,
another word picture is given concerning the end of the Times of the Gentiles.
Haman’s ten sons (foreshadowing Antichrist’s ten-kingdom confederacy) are slain
and impaled upon the same gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai, the same
gallows upon which Haman had previously been impaled.

Thus, the whole of that seen in chapters
seven
and nine foreshadow the
destruction of Antichrist and his ten-kingdom confederacy, depicting the
destruction of Gentile world power at the end of Man’s 6,000-year Day.

But in chapters
eight
and ten, quite another story
is seen. The Jewish people are seen occupying their proper God-ordained place
in relation to the kingdom and regality. And this place is seen to be the
highest of all positions in the kingdom on earth — next to the King (10:3).

Insofar as the book of
Esther
itself is concerned, chapters
seven
and nine together present a
complete picture of the end of Gentile world power, and chapters
eight
and ten together present a
complete picture of Israel in the Messianic Era, following the destruction of
Gentile world power. And this is where the book ends — Gentile world power
destroyed, Israel holding the scepter, the theocracy restored,
and the Messianic Era ushered in.

And as the book progresses more and more toward that day, Israel is seen being
moved more and more from the shadows into the spotlight. Then as the
book is brought to a close, following the overthrow of Gentile world power, it
is the Jewish people alone who are seen in relation to regality,
ruling directly under the King.

Anticipating That Coming Day

Israel though is presently scattered among the nations and has been since the
days of Nebuchadnezzar, about 2,600 years ago. And, throughout this period, the
Times of the Gentiles has been allowed to continue. The Gentiles, during this
time, have been allowed to hold the scepter; and, throughout this same time, the
Gentiles have been allowed to persecute the Jewish people whom God has scattered
among them.

Israel must first be brought to the place of repentance. Only then can
the Times of the Gentiles be brought to an end, for the entire purpose for the
Times of the Gentiles is to bring Israel, through Gentile persecution, to the
place of repentance. Only then, following Israel’s repentance and the end
of the Times of the Gentiles, can the things depicted at the end of the book of
Esther
be brought to pass. Only then can Israel, as God’s firstborn son, hold the
scepter directly under the King.

And to show all these things in what would be considered the commentary section
of the book of
Esther
(chapters 3-10), God begins at
the very heart of the matter. Viewing
Esther
within a type-antitype framework, God begins very near the end of Man’s Day and
details a sequence of events, lasting three and one-half years, which brings
Man’s Day to a close. Then, following this sequence of events, which completes
Man’s Day, the Messianic Era is ushered in.

This sequence of events begins with the rise of Antichrist to a position of
world power near the middle of the coming Tribulation. This will be the man
who, as the antitype of Haman, brings Israeli persecution to an apex —
attempted worldwide genocide. And, as also seen in the type, this will be
the man whom God will use, through this intensified persecution, to bring Israel
to the place of repentance.

Thus, the reason God begins at this point in the book is evident. The book of
Esther
throughout centers on Israel in relation to a future regality. But
Israel must first be brought to the place of repentance; and Gentile
world power (which cannot end before Israel has been brought to this place)
must then be destroyed (after Israel has been brought to this place),
allowing repentant Israel to hold the scepter.

Accordingly, Esther chapters
three through
ten
begin very near the end of the Times of the Gentiles, showing the final
outworking of God’s plans and purposes surrounding the Times of the Gentiles.
God simply moves to near the end of the matter (not only here but numerous other
places in Scripture as well) and reveals a concluding sequence of events at the
end of 2,600 years of Gentile persecution during the Times of the Gentiles.

The purpose for the Times of the Gentiles will ultimately be realized.
Israel will ultimately be brought to the place of repentance. Then,
Gentile world power will be destroyed, Israel will take the scepter, and Israel
will be elevated to the nation’s proper place on the earth.

But, until that day arrives, matters relative to Israel and the nations will
remain unchanged. The Gentiles will continue to hold the scepter,
and the Jewish people will remain scattered among and persecuted by these same
nations.

1) Israel, Today

Thus, Israel in the world today still finds itself inexactly the same position that
the Jewish people have occupied since the days of Nebuchadnezzar — living
during the Times of the Gentiles, scattered among the nations,
persecuted by these nations, and still unrepentant. And, these
conditions will, they must, persist until God’s purpose for the
Times of the Gentiles has been realized.

During the Times of the Gentiles, there have been two restorations of remnants
of Jews to the land of Israel. The first occurred during the years following
the Babylonian captivity, forming the remnant in the land when Christ came the
first time; and the second has occurred during modern times, forming the remnant
that is not only presently in the land but will be in the land when Antichrist
appears.

The first remnant returning to the land (near the beginning of the Times of the
Gentiles) ultimately found itself uprooted from the land and scattered among the
nations. And this exact same fate awaits the second remnant returning to the
land (near the end of the Times of the Gentiles). This remnant too is about to
be uprooted from the land and scattered among the nations, where most of world
Jewry still resides (about one-third of world Jewry is presently in the land,
with the remaining two-thirds still scattered among the nations).

The first remnant was uprooted in this manner through the actions of Titus and
his Roman legions in 70 A.D. Titus marched against Jerusalem, besieged the
city, and ultimately destroyed both the city and the temple. And more than one
million Jews perished in this destruction, with the remainder subsequently
driven into Gentile lands.

The second remnant, in the land today, will be uprooted in a similar manner by
Antichrist and his armies. Antichrist, after three and one-half years (in the
middle of the Tribulation, Daniel’s 70th Week), will turn against the Jewish
people, break his seven-year covenant with Israel, and destroy both Jerusalem
and the rebuilt temple (cf.
Daniel 9:26; Matthew 24:15-22; Luke 21:20-24).
And, in the process, above one million Jews in the land will be slain (Zechariah
13:8),
with the remainder (other than the remnant that escapes into a specially
prepared place in the mountainous terrain of the land [cf. Matthew
24:16-20; Revelation 12:6, 14]) being uprooted and
driven into Gentile lands.

Then, for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation, Jerusalem will
be “trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (cf.Luke 21:24;
Revelation 11:2). And it will be during this
period that Israel’s suffering at the hands of the Gentiles will reach such
extremes (cf.
Matthew 24:21, 22)
that the Jewish people will be left without a choice other than to cry out to
the God of their fathers, fulfilling the type seen in Exodus 2:23; 3:9
(among numerous other types and prophecies in Scripture).

God’s purpose for the Times of the Gentiles will then be realized. Israel,
through Gentile persecution, will be brought to the place of repentance.
It will have taken 2,600 years of Gentile rule and Jewish suffering at the
hands of the Gentiles to bring this to pass; and Jewish suffering will have been
climaxed by the Holocaust in Europe during the reign of Hitler and a
succeeding worldwide Holocaust during the reign of Antichrist.

Thus, in that coming day, preceded by Jewish persecution and suffering over
millennia of time, God’s plans and purposes surrounding Israel and the nations
will have been worked out.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [without a change of
mind]. (Romans 11:29)

The context of
Romans 11:29
has to do with Israel’s future deliverance at the time of Messiah’s return (vv.
24ff). Israel
will have been brought to the place of repentance, and the Times of the
Gentiles will have been brought to an end. God is not going to change
His mind concerning the reason He called man, then the nations, and then Israel
into existence. God is not going to change His mind concerning the reason He
brought the Times of the Gentiles to pass. God’s plans and purposes surrounding
individuals and nations, occurring during time, will ultimately be realized.

The Infinite God, unlike finite man, does not get in a hurry in matters of this
or of any other nature. Nor does God do things as man might seek to do them.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways
higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah
55:8,
9)

God is often seen taking millennia to bring His plans and purposes to pass. He
is seen working with man in general, with Israel and the nations, and with the
Church in this manner. God, in this respect, brings matters to pass within
His own set times, with one thing clear and certain. God’s plans and
purposes — that which He has decreed and revealed in His Word — will
ultimately always be brought to pass.

2) The Remnant
Presently in the Land

As previously seen, the Jewish people in the world today can be divided into two
categories: (a) those in the land, forming the present nation of Israel; and
(b) those remaining scattered among the Gentile nations. Only a remnant though
has returned to the land, with the majority of the Jews remaining outside the
land and scattered among the nations.

But why is there a segment of world Jewry back in the land today? There has
been no repentance on Israel’s part, neither the people nor the land has been
healed, and man is still living during the Times of the Gentiles.

Is this somehow the beginning of God’s restoration of the Jewish people back to
their land, as foretold by the prophets, anticipating their repentance and that
seen at the end of the book of
Esther?
Or, is this something else?

Note a short history of Israel during modern times, bringing the matter somewhat
up-to-date in this respect:

The present existing Jewish nation in the Middle East is the end result
of a Zionistic movement that
had its beginning during modern times through the efforts of Theodor Herzl (and
other Jewish leaders) during the closing years of the 19th century. Herzl
(1860-1904), who became the first president of the World Zionist Organization in
1897, was a Hungarian-born Jew who would presently be looked upon as the father
of modern-day Zionism. Herzl, and other Jewish leaders of his day, opened the
door to a renewed Zionism among Jews worldwide, Jews scattered among and
persecuted by the Gentiles.

Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, Britain figured prominently in the
matter. Britain, throughout the years leading into and during World War I
(1914-1918), was sympathetic toward the Zionistic aspirations of the Jewish
people. But it was only near the end of World War I that all of this was
brought out into the open, with the British government acting on the matter.
And a Russian-born Jew, Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952), who had become a British
subject prior to the war, figured prominently in that which the British
government did in this respect near the end of the war.

Chaim Weizmann, a chemist, had been placed in charge of the Laboratories of
British Admiralty during the war. And, as director, he discovered a process for
synthesizing acetone, a substance necessary for the manufacture of high
explosives — something that helped, in a major way, to bring about an Allied
victory in the war.

Weizmann was an ardent Zionist. And the British government, near the end of the
war, exercised governmental control over Palestine (though they were not
officially given the mandate by the League of Nations until 1922). Thus, the
stage was set for that which then occurred.

Weizmann, because of his contribution to the war effort, in a manner of
speaking, was in Britain’s debt. And, with Britain both in governmental control
of Palestine and looking favorably upon Jewish Zionistic aspirations, Weizmann,
through his influence in the British government, brought Zionism to the
forefront.

Weizmann was the person largely responsible for Arthur James Balfour (Foreign
Secretary in Britain’s government during the war), on Nov. 2, 1917, issuing what
later became known as “The Balfour Declaration.” This declaration, in essence,
set the course for future actions that the British government took toward Jewish
Zionistic aspirations of that day. The declaration read, in part:

“His Majesty’s government view
with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish
people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this
object . . . .”

Britain though, seeking to carry matters forward in this respect in the Middle
East, immediately ran into the same problem that the Jews have experienced in
the land for the past half century. The British government found itself in the
middle of and adding fuel to a 4,000-year old conflict between two half
brothers. And, seeking to appease both participants in the conflict (Arabs and
Jews alike), the British began to issue what were called “White Papers,”
sharply limiting Jewish immigration. And the issuance of these papers all
but closed the door during the ’20s and ’30s to the Jewish dream of a national
homeland in Palestine.

Then in the late ’30s, World War II, with its Holocaust, began to envelope
Europe. And, because of that which occurred during these years (1939-1945),
with a Zionistic base already well-established in the Middle East, the flood of
Zionism among Jews worldwide following World War II was unstoppable.
Regardless of the White Papers and continued British control and rule in
Palestine, nothing was now going to stop the Jewish people from
establishing a national homeland within the boundaries of the land covenanted to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And the nation in the land today can be traced back to the succeeding events of
May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion stood beneath a picture of Theodor Herzl in
the Tel Aviv Museum Hall and, shortly before sunset, declared Israel’s
independence.

Events beginning with Theodor Herzl and continuing through men such as Chaim
Weizmann paved the way and opened the door for that which occurred in Tel Aviv
May 14, 1948. And the Jewish frame of mind, worldwide, at the conclusion of
World War II was the central driving thrust that brought all that had preceded
into reality.

So, again the question: Is the remnant presently in the land today (approaching
5,000,000 strong) somehow the beginning of God’s restoration of the Jewish
people back to their land, as foretold by the prophets, anticipating that seen
at the end of the book of Esther? Or, is this
something else?

To address the issue, note two simple facts: (a) The Times of the Gentiles
presently continues, and (b) Israel has yet to be brought to the
place of repentance. And, as has previously been shown, an inseparable
relationshipexists between the two. The reason for the Times
of the Gentiles is to bring about Israel’s repentance through the
Jewish people being scattered among and persecuted by the Gentiles.

And, in keeping with the preceding, Scripture clearly reveals when God’s
purpose for the Times of the Gentiles will be brought to pass — under the reign
of Antichrist yet future, at the end of Man’s Day. Only then and not
before, will God heal His people, heal their land, and restore His people to
their land within a theocracy.

The remnant presently in the land is there as a result of Zionism, which,
in this case, is little more than finite man’s efforts to help an infinite God
fulfill His plans and purposes — an effort to push God’s plans and purposes
ahead of His timetable. Thus, from a Scriptural standpoint, under no stretch of
the imagination could this remnant be said to exist in the land in fulfillment
of Old Testament prophecies concerning God restoring the nation to its land.

For the latter to be true, God would be violating His own Word — an
impossibility. He would be ignoring the purpose behind the past 2,600 years of
Jewish history — the scattering of a disobedient people among the Gentiles in
order to bring about their repentance. He would be re-gathering a disobedient
and unrepentant people back to a desolate land, during the Times of the
Gentiles, before His purpose for scattering these people among the
Gentiles had been realized (e.g.,
Isaiah 1:4-15).

Thus, God re-gathering His people in fulfillment of the restoration foretold by
the Old Testament prophets is simply not what is presently occurring. According
to Scripture, both Israel and the land must first be healed. Only then
can the prophesied restoration occur (e.g.,
Isaiah 1:16-2:5).

In more ways than one, the remnant presently in the land has returned before
the time. Not only has this remnant returned before God has completed His
purpose for the Times of the Gentiles, but this remnant has returned while
Christ is still exercising His high priestly ministry in the heavenly
sanctuary. And, according to the type in
Numbers
chapter thirty-five, the slayer
(Israel, in the antitype) cannot return to the land of his possession
(the land of Israel, in the antitype) until the death of the high priest
(which, in the antitype, could only have to do with the termination of Christ’s
present high priestly ministry after the order of Aaron, when He departs the
heavenly sanctuary and comes forth as the great King-Priest after the order of
Melchizedek).

According to the type in
Numbers
chapter thirty-five, for Israel to
return to the land before the time foreshadowed by the death of the high priest
is to place the nation in great danger. It is to place the nation in
danger of being slain. And this danger is not only very real but it
is about to be realized.

When Antichrist rises to power in the immediate future, he will attempt to
slay the slayer. He will break his covenant with Israel, uproot the remnant
presently in the land, and attempt to destroy all of the Jews worldwide.

Hitler attempted to bring about a Jew-free Europe, and Antichrist will seek to
bring about a Jew-free earth. Failure marked Hitler’s efforts, and failure will
mark Antichrist’s efforts (cf.
Jeremiah 31:35-37).
And, as a nation arose from the ashes of the first Holocaust, so will a nation
arise from the ashes of the latter Holocaust, with the latter being the
restoration foretold by the prophets.

Thus, to bring matters to pass, a remnant of Jews has been allowed to return to
the land near the end of Man’s Day, not as part of the prophesied Old Testament
restoration of the Jewish people, but as a Zionistic undertaking that has
occurred under God’s sovereign control of all things. God, in His sovereignty,
has allowed this remnant to return in order to bring about a conclusion to the
outworking of His plans and purposes surrounding the Times of the Gentiles and
Israeli repentance.

(For a detailed discussion of
the slayer in Numbers chapter thirty-five, refer to the
appendix.)

When That Day Arrives

The day of Israel’s prophesied restoration to the land will be following
Israel’s repentance, following Christ’s return and the overthrow of Gentile
world power, and following the healing of both the people and the land. This
is simply what the Old Testament prophets have revealed about the matter,
and this is what must be followed.

Further, Israel will be restored to the land in accord with the seven “feasts
of the Lord” in Leviticus chapter
twenty-three.
These festivals form the prophetic calendar of Israel and detail the
chronology of events, as they will have to do with Israel, from the time of
Christ’s return to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom (a period, which,
according to Daniel 12:11, 12,
will apparently be seventy-five days in length).

The first festival, the Passover, has to do with Israel’s national
conversion after Christ returns and the Jewish people (still scattered among the
nations) look upon the One “whom they have pierced” (Zechariah
12:10).
The Jewish people, in that day, will look upon the Aleph and the Tau
(the first and last letters in the Hebrew alphabet, as Alpha and Omega
in the Greek alphabet [cf.
Revelation 1:8; 21:6]).
These two letters form an untranslated word in the Hebrew text of
Zechariah 12:10,
which follows and refers back to “Me [Christ]” in the verse.

Israel has slain the Lamb, but the Jewish people have yet to apply the blood.
Thus, insofar as Israel is concerned, not a single festival from
Leviticus chapter twenty-three(festivals that
must be fulfilled in the order given) has been fulfilled. But, in
that coming day, following Christ’s return, these festivals will be fulfilled,
beginning with the Passover (during what would appear, from Daniel 12:11, 12,
to be a seventy-five-day period).

But note within this order where Israel’s restoration is placed. It is seen in
events surrounding the fifth festival, the Feast of Trumpets (which
follows Israel’s national conversion [fulfilling the first festival], among
other events set forth through the intervening three festivals). It will be
then, not during the present day, that the fulfillment of verses such as
Deuteronomy
30:3;
Ezekiel 37:11-14; Matthew 24:31
will occur.

Then, a restored nation, in a restored land, during the Messianic Era, is seen
through events surrounding the seventh and last festival — the Feast of
Tabernacles. And it is toward this day that the whole of Scripture moves.

1) Next Unto the
King

Israel in that coming day will be the restored wife of Jehovah, with the
theocracy restored to the nation. “God” will be King;and
“Israel,” a nation separate and distinct from the Gentile nations (cf.Numbers 23:9; Deuteronomy 7:6),
will be queen.

Israel will be placed back in the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
(a healed nation placed back in a healed land). Israel, in that day, will
occupy her proper, God-ordained place at the head of the nations. The Times of
the Gentiles will be past, Israel will hold the scepter, and the Gentile nations
of the earth will be ruled by and blessed through Israel.

In that day, Israel is going to go forth in the antitype of Joseph’s brethren
after his reappearance to and their acceptance of him. Joseph’s brethren, in
the type, went forth with the message, “Joseph is yet alive, and he is
governor over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis
45:1-4,
9, 26).
And Jesus’ brethren, in the antitype, are going to go forth with the same
message: “Jesus is yet alive, and He is Governor over all the earth.”

The Jewish people, in that day, will fulfill the one thing that they have yet to
fulfill surrounding their calling. They, as Jonah following his being raised
from the dead after two days, on the third day, will carry God’s message to the
Gentiles. And, as in Jonah’s experience, the Gentiles will hear and take heed (cf.
Isaiah 43:1, 10; Jonah 1:17; 2:10-3:10).

2) Greatness,
Acceptance, Wealth, Peace

The end of the matter is seen in both
Esther
chapters eight and
ten.
Chapter
eight
depicts one facet of Israel’s royal position during the Messianic Era —
arrayed in a regal manner (v.
15); and chapter ten depicts another
facet of the matter, with four words used to describe Israel in that coming day
— greatness, acceptance, wealth, peace (KJV:
v. 3).

The only word that probably needs any comment at all is the word “wealth.” This
is the translation of a Hebrew word that has to do with “good,” or a reference
to “the welfare of the people.”

Israel in that day will be great (at the head of the nations, rather than
as today), the Jewish people will be accepted (the present-day situation
will be reversed), the Jewish people will do that which is good (looking
out for the welfare of all), and there will be worldwide peace (cf.
Luke 1:31-33; 2:13, 14).

And it will be in that day, in accord with
Esther 8:17
— “. . . many of the people of the land became Jews, because the fear
of the Jews fell upon them” — that the Gentiles are going to recognize the
Jew in complete accord with his true identity and calling:

Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the
sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we
have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah
8:23).

“Ten” is the number of
ordinal completion,pointing to all of the Gentiles, calling
attention to that which the future holds for both Israel and the nations
(Psalm 122:6; 126:1-6;
Isaiah 60:1-22).